RARY OF THE UNIVERSITY Of ILLINOIS FI aou Return this book on ortlSefore the Latest Date stamped below. A charge is made on all overdue books. University of Illinois Library M32 , 20 10 MAY 3 1 ZOOLOGICAL SERIES OF ^IVERSITY OF III FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY Volume XX CHICAGO, MAY 15, 1935 No. 10 A NEW SKINK FROM MEXICO BY EDWARD H. TAYLOR DEPARTMENT OF ZOOLOGY, UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS The following species of skink from western Mexico was encountered while reviewing the specimens of Eumeces in the col- lection of Field Museum. It belongs to the skiltonianus-brevirostris group but differs sufficiently from other members to be regarded as quite distinct, despite the fact that only a single specimen is available. The specimen is in an excellent state of preservation but perhaps somewhat discolored by preservatives. Eumeces colimensis sp. nov. Type from Colima, state of Colima, Mexico. No. 1649 Field Museum of Natural History. Adult female. Collected by C. H. T. Townsend. Diagnosis. — A medium-sized species belonging to the skiltonianus- brevirostris group, characterized by broad dorsolateral light lines originating on the rostral and continuing to tail, and a lateral line, probably distinct in young but dim or obsolete in adult; no median line and no bifurcating lines on the head. One postmen tal; no postnasal; frontal in contact with interparietal ; parietals enclosing the interparietal; seven upper labials, last largest, forming a suture with the upper secondary temporal, the primary temporal wanting (possibly abnormally fused with the upper secondary); lower secondary, and tertiary temporals present; ear of normal size; limbs well-developed, strongly overlapping when adpressed. Description of type. — Portion of the rostral visible above, small, much less than one-half the size of the frontoparietal ; internasals large, of much greater length than nasals, forming a median suture; frontonasal much broader than long, touching laterally the anterior loreal, forming broad sutures posteriorly with the prefrontals, in contact with the frontal at the attenuated anterior end ; prefrontals narrowly separated, quadrangular in shape, the side touching frontal longest, also forming unequal sutures with the frontonasal, second loreal, first supraocular, first loreal and first superciliary, the varying No. 339 77 78 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY — ZOOLOGY, VOL. XX length of the sutures in the order named; frontal very long (5 mm.) one and one-third times its distance from end of snout, posteriorly narrowed and bluntly pointed, in contact with the interparietal; frontal in contact with the first, second, and third supraoculars on the left side, with the second and third only on the right side. Frontoparietals one and one-half times as long as broad, separated, their posterior ends forming a notch in the anterior part of the parietals; parietals very broad, strongly truncate behind, enclosing the interparietal, forming a rather narrow mutual suture; inter- parietal rather narrow, elongate; two pairs of nuchals, the first very broad and deep, the second pair very much smaller. Nasal distinctly divided, the nostril behind the line of the rostrolabial suture; anterior part of nasal larger than posterior part; no postnasal; first loreal distinctly higher than second loreal; latter much longer than high, in contact with second and third labials; two presuboculars, the anterior much the largest, somewhat pentagonal in shape; four postsuboculars, the upper very large, but not to be mistaken for the missing primary temporal; six superciliaries, anterior largest, last next in size; eye small, distinctly less than its distance from the nostril; three or four median upper palpebral scales forming sutures with the superciliaries; a relatively large wedge-shaped preocular followed by a small scale on the upper eyelid; two small postoculars; four or five large vertically placed opaque scales on lower eyelid, separated from the subocular by two irregular rows of tubercular scales, somewhat larger than is typical for the genus. Primary temporal wanting (perhaps fused abnormally with the upper secondary temporal), the upper secondary temporal broadly in contact with the sixth and seventh labials more than twice as long as its greatest width; lower secondary temporal of moderate size, somewhat fan-shaped; tertiary temporal elongated and not entering ear, but in contact above with the upper secondary. Seven upper labials, four preceding the subocular, of which the first is highest, fourth smallest; seventh labial largest of the series, but not conspicuously larger than sixth, separated from the ear by two superimposed pairs of postlabial scales, the anterior pair largest; two very inconspicuous ear lobules; six well-defined lower labials, the last followed by a smaller scale that may be considered a seventh. The mental has practically the same extent on the labial border as the rostral; postmen tal large, single; three typical pairs of chin- shields, the third followed by a relatively short postgenial, which is bordered on the anterior mesial side by a scale wider than long. FI 1935 A SKINK FROM MEXICO— TAYLOR 79 Scales on back about equal to those of lateral and ventral regions, forming parallel lines, save behind and above arm; postauricular scales relatively large, 18 around ear; 30 scales about neck behind ear; 27 about constricted part of neck; 32 in axillary region; 28 FIG. 7. Head of Eumeces colimensis sp. nov. No. 1649. Type, x 5. rows about middle of body; 19 at base of tail; subcaudal series distinctly widened; median preanal scales enlarged, with two others lateral to these, outer scales overlapping inner; an elongate scale at each outer posterior corner of anus not otherwise differentiated. Limbs well-developed, overlapping the length of the foot with toes, when adpressed. A well-developed outer wrist scale; a series of large conical tubercles in middle part of palm; basal lamellae more or less conical; lamella formula for fingers 6-9-11-12-8. Three large, thickened, somewhat conical scales at heel; basal lamellae strongly tubercular; two enlarged conical tubercles on sole; lamella formula of toes 6-9-13-16-11. Eighteen scales about insertion of hind limb, twelve about insertion of arm. A series of small tubercles in axilla. Lateral nuchal scales usually with two pits; scales in HNIVERSn 80 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY — ZOOLOGY, VOL. XX posthumeral and postfemoral regions, in the postaxillary region, and behind the insertion of hind leg with more numerous pits. Color (specimen apparently somewhat discolored by preserva- tives).— Above brown olive, each scale with a darker area, forming six indistinct dotted lines; head more brownish, followed by a brownish streak beginning in the nuchal region, continuing back about a centimeter on neck; small darker areas on prefrontals, supraoculars, and parietals; no bifurcating lines on head and no median stripe; broad dorsolateral light lines beginning on the snout, continuing on sides of head and body to tail, covering parts of the third and fourth scale rows, separated from each other by four whole and two half scale rows; the dark spots on the scales bordering the light stripe more pronounced than elsewhere; a broad labial stripe begins on rostral, follows lower part of labials through lower half of ear; beyond this, it can scarcely be distinguished from the coloration of the side; a broad band of brown beginning anterior to the eye continues along the side to some distance on the tail, covering two whole rows, and two half rows of scales; lower labials, chin, throat, and breast, cream-colored; under side of limbs, anal scales,' and along a median line on subcaudals, lighter; limbs above generally dark brown with lighter brown areas on the scales con- tinuing on toes, giving them a slightly cross-barred appearance; abdomen and lower part of sides somewhat lead color (due to pre- servative), each scale with a darker area. Measurements of the type. — Total length 134; tail (regenerated) 69; snout to vent 65; snout to foreleg 23.2; snout to ear 13.5; snout to eye 5; axilla to groin 33; width of head 9.7; length of head 10.7; foreleg 18; hind leg 26; longest toe 11; width of body 11.3. Distribution. — The single known specimen is from Colima (pre- sumably the town), in the state of Colima, Mexico. Remarks. — This species may be differentiated from all other members of this group by the greater development of the limbs, which overlap in the adult a distance equal to the entire length of the foot. In the absence of the primary temporal it agrees with dicei, but differs markedly in the character of the lower eyelid, the presence of a lower secondary temporal, and in much larger size, as well as in the greatly increased number of scale rows about the body. Whether the contact between the frontal and interparietal and the lack of a primary temporal are normal conditions can only be determined when a series of specimens is available for comparison. UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS-URBANA